The final season of Game of Thrones is wrapping up, and Rutgers University Medievalist Larry Scanlon is available to discuss the medieval traditions, genres and motifs that have influenced the TV phenomena based on George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novels.

What prompts birds to build nests where they do? Some of their real estate choices are real head-scratchers. That’s where the Funky Nests in Funky Places challenge comes in. Anyone who finds a bird nest in a creative, quirky location can participate. Entries can be photos, poems, stories, or artwork. Past participants have found nests built on statues, barbecue grills, traffic lights, wind chimes, golf shoes, and–pretty much anywhere. The contest is run by the Celebrate Urban Birds citizen-science project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The entry deadline is June 30. Submit entries at funkynests.org.

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The quickest way to decide if a watermelon is ripe or not is by tapping on it. And if you’re having trouble detecting the subtleties of the sound, listen to some Nigerian traditional music to get your ears attuned. Nigerian researcher Stephen Onwubiko has found a link between the sounds of drumming in traditional Nigerian music and the sound of fingers drumming on watermelons in the markets. His team will present the findings at the 177th ASA Meeting, May 13-17.

In this Q&A, Baylor University director Chris Hansen shares thoughts on how we – as audience members – can do our part to get the best movie-watching experience and what he – as the director – hopes we take away from that experience.

Superheroes like Thor and Black Widow may have what it takes to save the world in movies like Avengers: Endgame, but neither of their comic book depictions has a healthy body mass index (BMI). New research from Binghamton University and SUNY Oswego found that, within the pages of comic books, male superheroes are on average obese, while females are on average close to underweight.

Tickets for the 2019 Wagner New Play Festival at UC San Diego are going fast, and guests have five world-premiere productions to see: each one written by current students in the Department of Theatre and Dance MFA playwriting program. The 2019 festival runs in repertory May 7-18.

Following the recent fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Lynne Davis, the Robert L. Town Distinguished Professor of Organ at Wichita State University, has written a reflective piece, “Fire: The Unthinkable.” Davis is familiar with the cathedral and the Great Organ and Choir Organ, having performed two concerts there.
Read her thoughts on the history and significance of the Cathedral of Notre Dame and its world-renowned Great Organ.